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SOTA c51s01
Text Making the horn was a complex process, and what Luna and Scrivener both loathed most about the entire procedure was that they... enjoyed it. Twilight, even with only half her horn, was still able to provide the magic necessary for their tasks, after Celestia had delivered both Selene and a cauldron... and loathe as they were, they filled the cauldron with cold, dead bodies and dismembered parts taken from the storage cells in the wall. Scrivener shivered when he laid his claws on the corpses, and tried not to watch, tried not to retch, as the corpses rotted into bubbling black tar and mire. It sickened him, but at the same time, it fascinated all of them: the corpses melted completely away into corruption after only a few minutes, bones and even the teeth dissolving, and the dark substance left behind did seem somehow... more concentrated. Purer, twisted a word as that was to use in regards to something like this. They added blood: Luna's blood, Celestia's blood, Selene's blood... and strangest of all, Valthrudnir insisted that Scrivener add his own. Scrivener made the mistake of asking why, when the same stuff in the giant metal pot was the stuff that powered him, and Valthrudnir had immediately gone on a long, complicated ramble about genetic markers, encoded algorithms, deoxyribonucleic acid and all kinds of other complicated things that had just made Scrivener's headache worse while they'd worked on the mixture. Selene stayed long enough to light magical flames beneath the cauldron before leaving to return to Ersatz, while Scrivener steadily stirred the mixture and Luna shaped the horn with a special metal carving instrument that fit smoothly over one hoof. She was gentle and careful: not things normally associated with the mare, but it helped knowing that the artifact she was in the process of almost-tenderly making was going to end up being fitted into her own skull. After the mixture had simmered for quite some time, the large portion of Twilight's horn was added: more than was strictly necessary, but the more alicorn was added to the mixture, the more potent and effective it would be. What surprised Scrivener was the way at first the large piece of horn floated... but then, even despite the horn material's legendary nigh-indestructibility, the blackish mixture began to visibly eat its way into it like acid as the horn itself began to glow brightly. Soon, it had melted down into sludge that Scrivener stirred into the mixture, and the ooze they had made was now steaming faintly, bubbling quietly away as a strange, poisonous radiance pulsated up out of the cauldron from the surface of the liquid. Scrivener grimaced a bit, but Valthrudnir said softly in his mind: It will have to simmer now, while you continue to stir it steadily. Have Freya increase the heat of the flames, and then add powder and smaller fragments from the soulstone... it will help with the bonding process, when we reach that point. Scrivener nodded and passed on the instructions, and the ponies did as asked. Then they sat down to help Luna finish off the carving, while Scrivener continued to stir. He kept it up for almost twenty monotonous minutes, but then frowned slightly at the next instruction from the Jötnar, only half-glad he was being given something else to do before he said finally: “Valthrudnir says... to pour the blood mix into the cauldron. But not the horn, not yet.” The others looked up at this, and then Celestia and Luna traded looks before the two nodded to each other. The sapphire mare reached out, hesitantly picking up the jar of blood mixture that her horn was floating in, and she studied it silently before murmuring: “Well, then let us hope that the Jötnar truly knows of what he speaks...” Valthrudnir grumbled as if insulted, but remained silent: Luna strode over to slowly pour the mixture into the cauldron without allowing the horn to slip free from the jar, and then she kissed Scrivener on the cheek, and he smiled a little, closing his eyes in silent thanks. He continued to stir for almost forty minutes before putting the lid on the cauldron to allow the faintly-glowing, red-and-black mixture to simmer, and then he joined Celestia, Luna, and Twilight Sparkle at the table. They sat in near-silence for almost two hours, all of them staring on and off at the jar in the middle of the table, in which rested Luna's horn. All any of them knew was that they were at the mercy of the Jötnar, whether they liked it or not: they had no choice but to trust him, and to trust that he wasn't about to lead them wrong... if only because of his own insufferable ego and ever-present need to be right about every little thing, although Valthrudnir laughed at this thought and replied calmly to Scrivener's aching mind: Perhaps I am a... fierce debater... but do not think I would be foolish enough to grant such gifts unless I saw more necessity in it than to simply prove my own vast intellect. I dislike the thought of... my warship being scuttled, if you will allow the metaphor. Scrivener only mumbled into his forelegs as he rested his head on them, and then Valthrudnir instructed calmly: Tell Brynhild to place her horn in the mixture. Do not fear... it will have stabilized by now. It will not destroy the alicorn as it did the L... Twilight Sparkle's. The stallion hesitated, but then he sighed and straightened, looking over at Luna. He didn't have to speak for her to know: they didn't even need the soul link to share that understanding with their eyes alone, the two smiling a little at one-another before the mare sighed a bit and muttered: “I do desire to reattach my proper horn one day, Scrivy. If it is sludge, 'twill be rather difficult to do. I will have to steal Celestia's, like in that damnable story, except 'twill go upon mine own head instead of thine.” “That story was actually part of the reason why I was willing to do this.” Celestia spoke up, and when Luna groaned loudly, the ivory mare smiled a little despite herself over at her sibling. “I know, I know, sister. You think that I'm obsessed but... I don't think I am. There's simply much good that can be seen even in the darkest of nightmares.” “Oh shut up, Celestia.” Luna muttered as she picked up the jar, and then she looked silently down at her horn for a few moments before shaking her head briefly and murmuring: “In any event... let us... let us try. I am ready to try and trust in the Jötnar as best as I can.” Twilight smiled supportively, and Scrivener nodded a little: all four ponies stood and approached the cauldron, and Celestia carefully removed the lid, grimacing only slightly at the blast of steam that vomited up from the enormous black tub as they all looked down into the ominous, glassy liquid. In spite of the sweltering heat of the magical flames burning beneath it, turning the bottom of the cauldron towards a reddish tinge, there wasn't a single bubble: instead, the surface was glowing with regular pulses of light. Luna shivered a little... then she bit her lip before almost suddenly thrusting the jar forwards and tipping it over the cauldron, sending the horn and a splatter of the little red liquid remaining inside down into the glassy surface. It sent up a splash, making the ponies wince and Luna curse quietly and rear backwards a bit, before all eyes looked on as the horn floated silently for a moment... then sank slowly into the depths, and the liquid began to turn a strange, phosphorescent blue, streaks of black like smoky serpents twisting eagerly back and forth over the surface. Excellent. Now we wait a few moments... keep that jar at hand. Or hoof, I suppose I should say, I am dealing with you quadrupeds instead of proper sentient creatures. Valthrudnir sounded ridiculously pleased with himself, and more than a little eager, and Scrivener shivered before the Jötnar laughed quietly. Betray you? No, Nihete. Unlike you, I learn from my past... errors of judgment. I will not permit the same strategic flaws to come back into play that resulted in the malformation of Decretum, and such incredible failures as the Clockwork King. Your concept of 'free will' is an important one. And I have no reason to modify it when you seem to be recognizing more and more on your own that I am necessary for your survival. Scrivener shuddered a little, but he didn't reply: he and the others only looked down into the mixture, until finally he heard another calm order from Valthrudnir in his mind, and the stallion said quietly: “Okay. He says... he says we're supposed to charge the soulstone with positive energy now. It'll act like magnet, and begin pulling the energy out of the mixture and into the soulstone itself. And we says we need tongs or something to hold it... it only has to be held in there for a few minutes or it'll... overcharge and... I think that would be bad.” Valthrudnir gave some sound of disgust at his jargon-filled vocabulary failing to be understood, but Twilight only nodded, turning to head across the room as Celestia glanced over at Scrivener, asking quietly: “Does he mean electricity or positive energy, as in holy powers? And will my power suffice or should I use Luna's blood as a medium?” Valthrudnir seemed strangely... pleased by this, and Scrivener grimaced a little: it was uncomfortable to imagine all the common ground that they might really hold with the Jötnar, past his... Valthrudnirness. He had to admit his own fascination as well, as he echoed the dragon's next instructions in slightly-simpler words: “Positive energy. And he says that if Luna's willing... douse it in her blood. It'll help shield it, too.” “I wish I could simply spit on it. Or perhaps shove it up-” Luna broke quickly off when Celestia turned a sharp glare on her, the sapphire mare shifting uncomfortably before sighing and nodding. Celestia softened slightly, offering a faintly-apologetic look, but Luna shook her head: no, this might concern her the most, but at the same time... she knew that they were all stressed over what was going on here. This wasn't easy for any of them. There was an awkward silence for a few moments, and then Twilight excused herself to fetch a set of tongs from her supply cupboard, and Luna grumbled a little before allowing Celestia to cut her foreleg open and wash the prosthetic horn with the crimson substance. Luna winced and cursed moodily under her breath: she had already given up quite a bit of blood to the mixture, after all, and the amount that Celestia further drained from her made her feel more than a little woozy. She had to sit back for a moment once the blood was taken out of her body, breathing quietly as Scrivener was forced to take a second to steady himself as he felt the same dazedness run through his body. Celestia concentrated positive energy into the blood-soaked horn, but was careful not to override it with her own powers, instead augmenting Luna's spirit and merging it with the crystalline spire. It was a difficult and slow process, and a magic more advanced than many even Twilight had seen, so all eyes watched with fascination... but Celestia only smiled a little, glancing up at Luna and saying quietly: :Once a Valkyrie, always a Valkyrie. Always sisters.” “Always.” Luna murmured in agreement, and she smiled faintly back at her sister: opposites or not, they paralleled in more ways than Luna liked to think of sometimes. Night and day shared the same horizons and the same sky, after all; Celestia was as passionate as Luna was calculating... just as they both did a very good job of keeping those facets of themselves hidden unless they wanted to reveal them. And 'tis so strange... that the mask my sister wears is one of calm tranquility, whilst I let my blazing emotions hide this... hungry mind of mine... Luna glanced up quietly at Twilight, then she smiled a little: the rot had already faded away from Twilight's horn, and it had grown into a round nub instead of a flat end already. She was already focusing magic better, too... although not much power was needed to levitate a set of tongs and carefully use them to grasp the now polished-red, synthetic horn. Twilight lifted this, and gave a look to Scrivener and Luna, who both looked back before nodding at the same time. Scrivener could clearly feel Valthrudnir's eagerness in his mind, and Luna was able to almost taste the Jötnar's strange excitement as well... and what she thought scared her most right now wasn't the idea that the Jötnar might be lying to them, or hoping for some... twisted power play. No, she thought this was all on the level, and Valthrudnir was so excited because... because to him, they were going to end up becoming... his greatest creations. Scrivener and Luna shared the thought at the same time, and Twilight heard it in her own mind, the Lich swallowing a little before she forced herself to turn around and approach the cauldron. Celestia's head rose slightly, her eyes narrowing a bit as she watched the Lich slowly lower the horn in... then wince a little as the liquid began to ripple, making the strange light pouring up out of the cauldron pulsate rhythmically as she asked nervously: “How... how long do I hold this in for?” “Only a few minutes. It won't take long... and... and then...” Scrivener looked awkwardly over at Luna, but the mare only nodded silently, grimacing a little before Scrivener added quietly: “But if he's right, and not lying to us, well...” “Aye. Aye, do not defend the Jötnar.” Luna muttered, shaking her head slowly before she smiled faintly up at Twilight as the violet mare gave her a concerned look. “Nay, fear not for us, my beloved. There is just... always another step to take. And oft 'tis more unpleasant than the last.” There was silence for a few moments, and then Celestia said quietly: “Luna... I've been thinking about something. As I have adopted a new weapon... I think that you should, too. No, not Sting. In comparison to our Valkyrie weapons, you know that Sting is just a toy.” Luna huffed at this, but looked like she grudgingly agreed all the same before she muttered: “Well, what does thou recommend then? Thou received Tyrfing as a gift from Odin. I doubt that Kvasir will be so generous as to permit me to steal some mighty, enchanted weapon out of the sacred halls of Valhalla, Celestia, and Andlitstingar cannot simply be replaced. 'Tis not like thou and thy hjorleikr, where thou simply poofs up weapons as thou pleases.” Celestia smiled despite herself at this, shaking her head and replying softly: “And I'm not suggesting either, or even replacing your spear... one day, we'll retrieve it. But I am saying that you need a proper weapon, Luna, and you know how to work a forge.” The sapphire mare looked up in surprise at this, then glanced down thoughtfully and bit her lip, and there was quiet for a moment before Scrivener quickly shook his head and looked over at Twilight, murmuring: “Okay. That should be enough. Pull it free.” Twilight nodded, carefully raising the tongs and stepping back from the cauldron... and then she and the others simply stared at the glowing horn of soulstone that was gripped in the faintly-smoldering metal pincers. It was a mix of blues and blacks, exuding a strange black light and an incredible sense of power and energy. It made Twilight shiver with... was that anticipation, maybe even envy? “Don't touch it. Bring it over here.” Scrivener instructed quietly, and then he winced a bit as he looked over at Luna, but she only nodded sharply, and the stallion closed his eyes tightly. “Celestia, I'm going to need your help. This is going to hurt me and Luna. Keep... keep me moving if I start to slow down. Twilight, you're going to hurt too... but whatever you do, don't touch the horn and... stay stable.” “Okay.” the Lich said quietly, and she and Celestia traded nervous looks as Luna calmly dropped herself to the ground, the mare swallowing once before Scrivener carefully stepped overtop her and straddled her. Twilight and Celestia watched as the stallion settled his weight on the mare, pinning her gently as his front hooves clicked apart into dexterous claws that carefully, carefully removed the bandaging and patch over her head, revealing the wound... and the gleam of the metal ring implanted in her skull. Then Scrivener gritted his teeth even as he carefully hooked a claw forwards... and Luna ground her teeth together, hissing in pain as he carefully began to tug the ring free. It made her curse, then hiss, then snarl as tears of pain glowed in her eyes, before the ring slid slowly free from her skull as Scrivener shuddered, a bit of blood running from one of his own ears. His claw slipped a bit, and the ring fell loose, bouncing off Luna's features to leave a streak of blood along her cheek before it hit the ground with a clang that sounded so loud in the silence of their little sanctuary. Twilight and Celestia continued to watch with baited breath as Scrivener and Luna both took a moment to breathe, and then the stallion carefully grasped either side of Luna's head, trembling and whispering: “Now the hard part. Twilight... Luna and I both trust you. All you have to do is slide the horn in once... well... we have faith you'll know.” Twilight swallowed a little and nodded uneasily, and Scrivener breathed slowly in and out as Luna closed her eyes tightly, then bared her fangs before snapping: “Do it!” Scrivener's claws clenched into either side of Luna's head, and then he cursed as Luna gasped, before biting back a scream and fighting not to wrench her head out of the stallion's grip as agony consumed her skull. She could feel Scrivener's corruption pumping into flesh and bone, felt the wound pulsing and blood running from that awful staring socket in her skull before the edges of it began to turn dead black... Dark veins pulsed through her features as corruption dribbled out of her skull, and Scrivener cursed as obsidian tears spilled from his eyes, his own expression a mix of horrified pain and twisted pleasure as he gasped for air. His claws sank deep enough into Luna's head to draw blood, and yet there was no hint of pain from those scratches and gouges: only shrieking agony from her brain and the crown of her skull. Except it was so much more than pain, wasn't it? And that was the most horrifying part of the entire process, that in spite of the agony... neither of them wanted it to stop. Not just because of what they were building towards, but because Luna could feel those creeping tentacles of corruption stroking into every nook and cranny of her mind, lighting up nerves, setting off instincts she didn't even know she had, making her... oh... so... excited... Luna gurgled, and Twilight and Celestia both watched before the Lich whimpered a little, the tongs shivering in her grip as her stitches writhed, as strange feelings twisted through her body... but not physical pain. She rarely felt precisely 'pain' when Scrivener used his powers on Luna... not in a physical sense, anyway. Was that envy? Was that... desire? Was that... Focus! Twilight shouted mentally to herself, and she shook her head sharply before looking down... and her eyes widened slightly as she realized what was happening. In that awful hole in Luna's skull, she could see the base of Luna's lost horn shifting slightly, becoming black and gleaming, but hardening even as it seemed to blossom open, as if awaiting... She cursed, then shook herself and turned her eyes to the soulstone horn, where it was wavering weakly in the air and the grip of the tongs. The Lich quickly refocused her telekinesis, trying to keep her eyes only on the instrument and the task at hoof as she quickly brought the horn down, then bit her lip before guiding the base of the horn carefully forwards... It slipped through the hole, and Twilight let the tongs simply fall away as she focused her telekinesis on the soulstone horn instead, carefully pushing it backwards. Luna gasped, and Twilight felt the strangest tremble run through her body as she guided the horn forwards, before there was a blast of agony in her mind as Luna almost screamed and Scrivener's eyes bulged- Celestia was there immediately, steadying Twilight with one hoof while her horn glowed brightly, a wave of cleansing energy washing over Luna and Scrivener. It served little purpose apart from searing their bodies and removing some of the gunk that had spilled over Luna's face, but the shock of energy brought both ponies back to their senses, and Scrivener cursed under his breath as Luna Brynhild ground her teeth together in pain. Twilight shivered: the horn was only a little bit of the way into Luna's skull, and she was almost afraid of pushing any harder on it... but then her eyes widened as she watched corruption begin to crawl up along the outside of the soulstone horn, and she felt it being dragged slowly into position, as Scrivener and Luna both shivered violently in throes of agony and almost-toxic passion. The Lich felt a whisper of instinct and a mental command that was almost drowned out by the maelstrom of emotion and pain ripping through her, before she pushed the horn forwards with telekinesis. Luna's scream and Scrivener's howl almost drowned out the quiet, firm click of the horn fitting into place, as a bit of black ooze squelched out of the hole... but even as Scrivener shivered and Twilight staggered weakly, the corruption pulsated, twisting around the horn, and then hardened even as Luna collapsed under the strain of pain and emotion and everything else. Scrivener half-rolled off her, and Twilight gasped for breath as she shivered weakly, struggling to stay on her hooves for as long as she could manage... but a moment later, she too fell, leaving only Celestia standing and staring in disbelief, horror... and sick, twisted envy of these three ponies, their connection, and the lengths they were willing to go to for one another. Top ↑